This seems history revising, to me.
This
CBS article and this
ESPN article (including Mike & Mike segment), exemplify the major coverage of the Lovie hire at the time, and I wouldn't characterise either as 'enthralled'. All the hype quotes are from Whitman, not outsiders. Local buzz was happy for his fame and success, but a whole lotta people were pumping the brakes on how well he would do as a college HC. He hadn't been a college HC or coordinator, ever, and his last college experience was '95. That gave reasonable people pause.
Not me, of course, I was holding parades. I was convinced he would make us relevant, competent and consistent, but not sexy. I got the last one right.